ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 31.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,968 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,851 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $58,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Advisory Resource Group lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,191 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $992,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth $417,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,375 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,146,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in ASML by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 21,599 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $17,997,000 after buying an additional 1,914 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $906.00.

ASML Stock Up 2.6 %

ASML stock opened at $675.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $688.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $708.52. ASML Holding has a twelve month low of $578.51 and a twelve month high of $1,110.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. The company had revenue of $8.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.90 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is 27.48%.

ASML Profile

ASML Holding N.V. develops, produces, markets, sells, and services advanced semiconductor equipment systems for chipmakers. It offers advanced semiconductor equipment systems, including lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. The company also provides extreme ultraviolet lithography systems; and deep ultraviolet lithography systems comprising immersion and dry lithography solutions to manufacture various range of semiconductor nodes and technologies.